Front bolster and body-support for children&#39;s wagons.



No- 808,977. PATENTED JAN. 2, 1906.

0. P. ERARD. FRONT BOLSTER AND BODY SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN'S WAGONS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1905.

axle.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OREL P. ERARD, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

FRONT BOLSTER AND BODY-SUPPORT FOR CHILDRENS WAGONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 19C6.

Application filed y 8, 1905. Serial No. 259,286.

'its object to provide a simple and inexpensive bolster and body-supportfor the purpose that is light, strong, and durable and that is composedof a reduced number of parts which are readily constructed andassembled.

A further object is to provide a front-axle bolster in which thetongue-straps, tonguehounds, axle-bearings, bridge-supports, andbearing-bridge are integral and adapted to be constructed of a singlepiece of strap-steel.

A further object is to provide a bolster of the kind with a simple andinexpensive trusssupport for the body of the wagon having increasedstrength and that is braced to withstand the torsional strain of thebolster on the bearing of the support. 1

I accomplish these objects by constructing a bolster and support ashereinafter described, and illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure1 isarear elevation of mybolster and support mounted on an axle. Fig. 2is a bottom view ofthe same with the axle in part broken away. Fig. 3 isan end elevation of the same with an end arm of the bolster broken away;and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the central portion of the bolster,showing portions of the arms of the bolster and of the body-support.

In the drawings, 1 is the bolster, which is constructed of a singlepiece of strap-steel of the required length bent to form in their orderat opposite ends of the central portion 2 the forwardly projectingtongue-straps 3, the hound-braces 4, the axle-bearings 5, thebridge-supports 6, the bridges 7, and the oppositely-projecting anddownwardly and outwardly curved arms 8, having end portions 9 angledparallel, each being provided with an orifice 10 to receive an axle 11.The tonguehounds 3 are also provided with orifices 12in alinement withthe orifices 10 to receive the The bolster is completed by bending theedges of a bearing-plate 13 around the outer edges of the bridges 7,which is effected by a single operation of a die-press, and providing acentral orifice 14 through the bearing-plate 13 and the bridges 7,one-half of the orifice being in each bridge.

The hound-braces 4 and the bridge-supports 6 are each quarter-twisted onopposite sides of the bearings 5, whereby the upper portions of thebridge-supportathe bridges, and the arms are as respects their sides inplanes at right angles to the planes of the sides of the central portion2.

The body-support 15 comprises the bearing-disk 16, having a centralorifice adapted to register with the orifice 14 of bearing-plate 13 ofthe bolster, and a pair of complementary truss-supports l7 and 17, eachformed of a single piece of strap-steel bent to form at opposite ends ofa central bearing portion 18, the front arm 19 and the rear arm 20,diverging therefrom. The central bearing portions 18 of thetruss-supports are riveted to the top face of the bearing-disk 16 inparallel positlon at equal distances from a line diametric of the diskand with their outer edges tangential to the disk. The front arms 19 arequarter-twisted, one to the right and the other to the left adjacent tothe central bearing, to bring their inner edges outermost and the armsdiverging from each other at equal angles from their respective bases.The arms 20 are angled obtusely from the bearings 18 and relative toeach other are also angled edgewise to converge and cross each other atabout half their lengths, and at their crossing they are securedtogether by a clipband 2 1. The free end portions 22 of the arms areangled to coincide with a common plane and are provided with screw-holes23 for attachment to the bottom of a wagon-body.

The bolster 1 is secured to the body-support 5 thus formed by thepivot-bolt 24 extending through the registered orifices of thebearingdisk of the support and bridge-plate of the bolster. Thusconstructed the support is adapted to be secured to the, front portionof the bottom of the body of a wagon, (not shown,) with the end portionsof the front arms 19 in line at right angles to the sides of the bodyand with the arms 20 extending rearward of the front arms. In thisposition thecrossed rear arms form a strong brace for resisting anytorsional strain caused by friction of the bearing in turning thebolster in either direction. The twists of the front arms also giveincreased strength to them in 1 10 resisting lateral strains, and byreason of these novel features of construction the support may be formedof lighter material, thereby reducing both the cost of material andconstruction.

By constructing the bolster of a single piece of strap-steel, as shownand described, the bending of which is readily accomplished, theassembling and riveting together of numerous parts are avoided, and thetwists of the tongue-hounds and bridge-supports and the absence ofrivets add greatly to the strength of the bolster, which also by reasonof its novel construction may be formed of lighter material and atreduced cost.

What I claim to be new is 1. In a bolster and body-support for a childswagon, the combination with abodysupport comprising acentrally-perforated bearing-plate and diverging arms secured to thebearing-plate, of a bolster comprising a single metal strap bent to formthe parallel tongue-straps 3 at opposite ends of the central portion 2,the tonguehounds 4, the axlebearings 5, the bridge-supports 6 ,theparallel bridges 7, and the oppositely-extending trussarms 8 having theangled end portions 9, the end portions 9 and the tongue-straps 3 havingperforations alined with the bearings 5, a

vbearing-plate 13 conjoining the bridges 7, and

means to pivot the bearling of the bolster to the bearing of thesupport.

2. In a bolster and body-support for a childs wagon, the combinationwith afrontaxle truss-bolster having a central bearing, of abody-support mounted on the bearing, comprising a bearing-disk and apair of complementary truss-supports secured to the disk, saidtruss-supports each being formed of a single piece of metal strap bentto form an arm at each end of a central portion, said central portionbeing secured in parallel relation to the top of the disk-bearing, andthe arms at one end of the base thus formed being reverselyquartentwisted and relatively diverging laterally from the base, and thearms at the opposite end being bent at obtuse angles to the base, andrelatively converging and crossing, all of the arms having their freeend portions perforated and angled outward in a common plane, and apin-bolt centrally pivoting the bearing of the bolster to the bearing ofthe support.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses, this 27th day of April, 1905.

OREL P. ERARD.

Witnesses:

AUGUST. W. VoLLsToRF, V. W. MoREHoUsE.

